February 29th, every 4 years, we get a bonus TeaDay...of sorts. As another bonus, today is the one month anniversary of TeaDay. Yeah, I know, not exactly a national holiday, but it has been a fun month for all I hope. A lot of fine TEA was sipped and a lot of interesting daily discussions...hopefully we learned a little about each other along the way!!!

Welcome to TeaDay. Sip TEA, share your cup with fellow TeaChatters, see what other TeaChatters od sipping as well. Everyone is welcome to TeaDay.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic centers on the question of whether you are ceremonious or ritualistic in your preparation of TEA. In your posts, let us know if you are, to what degree...and how. As always, I hope this will be a fun discussion and I hope we get to know each other a little more.

I don't really have any rituals in my preparation and enjoyment of tea.
Preheating the pot (the teacups if necessary), adding the leaves, smelling the leaves, pouring water, waiting, drinking, brewing another steep. Nothing fancy for me.
This morning Yunnan Golden tips for breakfast.

I have sort of a routine with matcha, for practical reasons more than anything else. For example, I pour my water into a samashi, and by the time I am done sifting my matcha, the water has reached a good temperature.

Define ritual? For my ripe puerh I now always place 2 teaspoons into my 7oz yixing pot and I'm starting to lean toward the middle road between Gongfu and English brewing. I guess you can say that I'm on my way toward ritual as I've been on a search for a unique teacup to make my own. Don't know what exactly I'm after but I'm sure that I know when I've found it.

As of now I'm sipping tangerine puerh during a study break from writing my paper. Don't worry the paper is not due till Monday but I'm burning the midnight oil tonight because I really want to have it finished before the weekend starts.

Does my "tea ceremony" look like the YT videos posted on the forum . . . NO! (I thoroughly enjoy watching them, BTW) I wish I had time. Would anyone consider what I do to make/consume tea a "ceremony" -- probably not. I've stopped using coffee mugs for tea, though. Does that count for something???

augie wrote:I've stopped using coffee mugs for tea, though. Does that count for something???

I am still using various coffee mugs. I'd love to find some nice tea cups for me to use, because part of why I love drinking tea is the relaxing act of making it, and nothing would be better than to have a beautiful tea cup to enjoy as well

To answer todays question, I don't have a ritual. I mean, okay, I follow the same steps, using the same device to heat water, etc. So I guess it could be called one... but only in a technical way?

I'm not yet drinking tea, but lately I've been drinking oriental spice as a chai. It does wonders to warm me up! Can't wait til spring.

A ritual is whatever you consider it to be. I can find great comfort in the simple process of preparing a cup of tea - it doesn't need to be anything formal, it doesn't even need to be exactly the same every time. But when I fill the kettle with water and measure out a portion of tea, I pause - and wait. Time stops for a few brief moments while the magic of tea happens.

If ritual means doing the same thing preparation and brewing things each time the same way? Then yes. But when you only gongfu brew using yixing, then it naturally is a bit ritualistic to begin with. But I would not brew any other way! Nothing touches my Puerh and oolongs but zisha.

The closest thing I have to a personal tea ceremony is simply preparing, brewing and drinking the tea without doing anything else within that whole process. And I don’t even get to that very often, since I’m a habitual multi-tasker…dunno how that came to be…well, maybe I do, but I’m not getting into that here. lol

TexasTea wrote:A ritual is whatever you consider it to be. I can find great comfort in the simple process of preparing a cup of tea - it doesn't need to be anything formal, it doesn't even need to be exactly the same every time. But when I fill the kettle with water and measure out a portion of tea, I pause - and wait. Time stops for a few brief moments while the magic of tea happens.

TexasTea said it best!

I am enjoying my new morning, afternoon, and nighttime tea ritual very much.

This morning, I am thoroughly enjoying Lady Orchard Oolong, sent by none other than Victoria. I was skeptical about oolongs, but this one is excellent!

I keep looking at the brewed tea thinking it should be green. I noticed, too, that I have been *slurping* instead of sipping.

It depends on what kind of tea I`m drinking. If it`s Japanese green or a good green chinese tea or oolong I would say it`s a ritual/ceremony. Especially when I do Gong Fu Cha, that is definitely a ritual.

Today I came home to some Da Hong Pao in my mailbox, so I ran 11 steeps Gong Fu Cha style in my new gong fu cha yixing pot which came in the same package. Very good, very interesting tea. The first thing that struck me is the complexity of the aroma, there is so many things going on, it`s hard to differentiate especially since I wasn`t doing any notes. The brew has no taste, only aroma. The liquid has a very delicious golden/mahogny color.
First 2 steeps were tough to make out, it`s a lot of aroma, but I can`t pin point it. Later steeps are same, but the middle steeps (4-8 ) has a very distinct after taste of plum/dried plum, it often appeared a few seconds after I swallowed. Very nice.
The last 3-4 infusions had something I would call a slight honey aroma, it was something sweet at least.
All in all a very interesting experience, looking forward to my next session with it.